The atmosphere within the GDA central hub had grown bitter and cold. It was no longer the place of hope it once was; now, it was a fortress of grey steel, stained by the heavy memory of the millions lost to the stars.
Deep in a dimly lit corner of the station, John sat hunched over a bar counter. The golden glow of a whiskey glass offered the only light, reflecting in his tired eyes as he stared at nothing. The silence was shattered when a heavy hand slammed onto the table beside him. Victoria stood there, her commander's uniform pressed and sharp enough to cut.
"Hey, John. Let's go," she said, her voice echoing in the hollow room. "We need to train."
John didn't look up. He merely swiveled his glass slowly, watching the amber liquid swirl. "Why?"
Victoria's temper flared instantly. "What the fuck you mean why? Both of us are Commanders! We have a responsibility!"
With a weary sigh, John finally pushed himself up from the stool. "Jeez... you don't have to shout and make a scene, Victoria." He began to walk away, his footsteps heavy on the cold floor. Victoria blinked, watching his retreating back with a mixture of frustration and worry. "This guy..." she muttered, before hurrying to follow him.
Outside the bar, the heart of the GDA pulsed with a desperate energy. Civilians hurried through the reconstructed sectors, trying to find a sense of normalcy in a world that had been broken. Nearby, on a high balcony overlooking the lower decks, John stood alone for a moment, chewing on a piece of dry bread. Below him, General Leah's voice boomed as she addressed a battalion of soldiers.
"Listen closely!" Leah barked. "Now that we have the Overseer as our official Guardian of the Titans, do not—I repeat, do not—provoke it. Any unauthorized contact or aggression toward the Guardian will result in immediate custody. Am I clear?"
John sighed and turned away from the military display, wandering into the quieter, shadows of a side corridor. As he walked, the muffled sound of a heated argument drifted through a nearby door. He stopped, pressing his back against the wall to listen.
"Erm, are you sure about this, Advisor?" an engineer's voice came from inside. "This blueprint is amazing, but to build a war machine like this... an actual machine of this scale?"
"Yeah!" another chimed in. "The resource cost—"
"Aren't you guys the fucking Forge Industries?!" the Advisor's voice cut through them, sharp and cracking with a desperation John hadn't heard before. "You're supposed to be the best Mech-smiths in the world! I need this machine! I can't have more casualties... I can't let people die anymore!"
A collective groan came from the engineers. "Alright, alright! Calm down. We'll take the blueprints to our boss, but make no promises."
"Just make it quick!" the Advisor snapped.
John's eyes narrowed. Forge Industries? Hearing the heavy thud of boots approaching the door, he scrambled into a dark alcove. He watched the engineers pass, breathing a sigh of relief—until a finger poked his cheek.
John yelped, but a hand instantly clamped over his mouth. Victoria was standing there, looking half-annoyed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she whispered harshly, releasing him.
"I was spying," John admitted.
Victoria's jaw dropped. "The fuck- Spying?! Why are you spying on our leader?"
"Didn't the Plague Doctor warn us?" John countered. Victoria blinked, her expression softening for a brief moment. "Alright, fine. Since you're my friend, I'll let it slide." She turned and marched off, leaving John to let out a long, shaky breath.
Miles away, at the edge of the GDA's territory, the sun beat down on a sprawling oil field. Soldiers and engineers leaned against rusted pipes, taking their mid-day break in the heat. The Oil-Keeper, a grizzled veteran, pointed a wrench at a subordinate.
"Oi! Get the generator startin'! And you... better start movin'."
He looked up to wipe the sweat from his brow, but his hand froze. High above, the blue sky was being pierced by streaks of fire. X-Drops were falling from the atmosphere like vengeful stars.
The first invasion had begun.